Formality
by Natalianova
Summary: After Vongola Ninth's death, Tsuna becomes an official leader. There are many hardships he has to face. One of them is dealing with a certain Varia's boss. X27.
1. Chapter 1

**Despite what I once promised myself, I decided to give slash fiction a try again. Rating may go up in the later chapters, though I haven't made up my mind on that matter yet. As usual I deeply appreciate any kind of feedback on this story. **

**Disclaimer: KHR belongs to its respectful owners and no, I'm not one of them.**

* * *

**Italy**

"Seems like there is no turning back, now."

Tsuna took a look around his new office and smiled bitterly to himself. He hoped that this day would never come. Although he eventually did accept the position of Vongola's Tenth, he still refused to occupy it until Timoteo was still alive. And now with the Ninth's death, him becoming the next Vongola boss was now official.

After Timoteo's funeral there had been several things that needed to be done. Tsuna had already taken care of most of them. The most difficult one was left at the end. He sighed.

- I'll have to pay _him_ a visit. It's the last thing I'd want to do. But in my current situation it's essential to ensure that relations between Varia and Vongola remain good.

Although Gokudera had been insisting on going with him, Tsuna decided to visit Varia headquarters alone, without any of his guardians. After all, it was a matter that needed to be discussed only between him and Xanxus.

**Varia Headquarters**

"Greetings, Vongola Decimo, Sawada Tsunayoshi-san."

The one who opened the door for him was dainty girl with dark, messy hair. Tsuna recognised her rather quickly. She had been working as Varia's secretary for quite a few years. He recalled her attending several Vongola meetings and also Ninth's funeral. He smiled to her in embarrassment.

"Hello there. You don't need to be so formal, Miseria-san."

"It's my job. What can I help you with?"

"I'd like to talk to Xanxus."

"Are you sure?"

The girl looked at him as if she wanted to ask whether he made his will already.

"Well, yeah. Could you ask him if he's willing to meet with me?"

"Yes. Could you please wait at the main hall?"

Miseria pointed to a rather comfortable-looking couch. Tsuna nodded and sat down. He waited anxiously for the answer. Knowing Xanxus' character, it wouldn't be too surprising if he was told to simply get lost. That would be the more pleasant option. Worse scenario was that he would end as Bester's meal or Xanxus' shooting target. His disquieting thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice:

"VOOOI, SAWADA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Tsuna looked at the long-haired man and smiled.

"Hi. I thought I should pay Xanxus a little visit."

"A LITTLE VISIT? WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU HASSLE HIM?"

"Well, I…"

A monotonous voice interrupted him.

"Looks like Tenth was just tired of his life and wanted our boss to end it."

"Ushishishi~ That's a nice idea!"

Next to Squalo appeared a boy in a big, frog hat and a blonde-haired young man wearing a tiara. Tsuna just hoped that the rest of Varia officers wouldn't find it appropriate to show up now. Dealing with Xanxus alone was difficult enough.

"IF YOU WANTED VARIA'S ASSISTANCE, YOU SHOULD'VE CONTACTED ME FIRST! BESIDES, BOSS HAS BEEN IN A TERRIBLE MOOD LATELY!"

"Ahhh, I see. He lost his father not so long ago."

"VOOI! I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE ONLY REASON, SAWADA!"

"Shut up, trash."

A porcelain vase flew out of nowhere and hit Squalo in the head. Fran and Belphegor were smart enough to disappear quickly. Tsuna stood up and looked apprehensively at the tall, dark figure standing in the hall. He might be no longer a little boy that covered in fear in Xanxus' presence but he still felt a bit edgy. He was given an icy glare.

"What do you want from me?"

"I wanted to talk to you face to face."

Tsuna carefully observed Xanxus who seemed to contemplate his request. The last time he saw him was during Timoteo's funeral but it was only briefly. Aside from the fact that the Varia's leader apparently let his hair grow a little, there were no considerable changes in his appearance. Finally Tsuna received a short, abrupt answer:

"Fine."

Relieved that he didn't instantly become liger's food, Tsuna followed Xanxus to his office. It was his first time being there. The interior looked just as fancy as he imagined it. He sat on a padded chair which probably served as a footstool rather than a seat for guests. Xanxus, who was sitting behind his desk, gave him a questioning stare.

"Will you spit it out already?"

"Well, I wanted to offer my condolences."

"You came all the way here just for _that_?"

In meantime, the secretary managed to bring two espressos. One cup was placed on Xanxus' desk while the other was given to Vongola Tenth. Before Tsuna managed to say his thanks, Miseria hastily left the office. He wondered whether she was just that considerate or maybe she was that afraid for her life.

**In the same time, on the other side of the door**

"It's rude to eavesdrop. And dangerous."

"Shhhh, be quiet, woman!"

"You may be whispering but your voice's volume is exactly the same as mine, Squalo-san."

Miseria put aside the tray she was carrying and observed her colleagues indifferently. It was beyond her comprehension why all the officers were crowding around the door and trying to listen in the conversation between Varia and Vongola leaders.

"This is not good, Miseria-chan. If our boss kills Sawada then it'd be the end of Vongola!"

"And if there is no Vongola there will be no Varia either! What'll happen to us?"

Miseria shrugged her shoulders. She didn't share Lussuria's and Levi's worries.

"Then we'll simply have to look for another job."

"VOOII, WOMAN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THIS SITUATION?"

"Shhh, boss will kill us all if don't quieten down, captain"

**Back to the office**

Xanxus heard the noises coming from the other side of the door but apparently decided to ignore them. He stared at Tsuna expectantly.

"Actually there is one more thing."

"…"

"I want to get along with you."

To Tsuna's surprise, Xanxus burst into wild laughter.

"Bwhahahaha! Get along with me! Hahahaha!"

"What is so funny?"

Suddenly Xanxus' expression changed completely. He stopped laughing and threw his coffee cup at Tsuna. The latter managed to evade it but the contents spilled on his hair and clothing.

"Are you mocking me, Sawada? Do you really think I'd ever get along with a trash like you?"

It didn't take Vongola's hyper intuition to tell that Varia's boss was angry. Tsuna had known from the beginning that it wouldn't be easy. Still, he deluded himself that after all these years, Xanxus would eventually stop harbouring a grudge against him.

But Tsuna wasn't going to give up just yet. He stood up and moved towards Xanxus.

"Haven't we fought together many times? Can't we just forget about past grudges and simply be friends?"

"Shut up! I don't give a shit about your fucking friendship!"

Tsuna felt a sudden impulse to do something. Something that would convince Xanxus to accept his friendship. Without much thinking he came closer to Varia leader and planted a gentle kiss on the other man's lips.

For a second Xanxus' expression was completely blank. Subsequently scars started to appear all over his face. Then Tsuna realised what a terrible mistake he had made.

**On the other side of the door**

Out of the blue Miseria had a premonition. She yelled to her colleagues:

"Quickly! Move away from the door!

Since they all knew that she lost her cool only in grave situations, the Varia officers immediately listened to her. Only Levi was a bit too slow.

"SCOPPIO DI IRA!"

Luckily for Levi, the hit was indirect because the door absorbed the most damage. Out of the office ran out clearly terrified Tsuna.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Behind him came out very enraged Xanxus.

"YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD, TRASH!"

Fortunately for Vongola's Tenth, the Varia officers (with the exception of Mammon and unconscious Levi) decided to intervene. They all went at Xanxus and tried to restrain him.

"VOOOI, XANXUS! YOU MUSTN'T KILL HIM!"

"Please, boss, think about the consequences!"

"SHUT UP, YOU SCUMS! I'M GOING TO KILL THIS TRASH!"

Tsuna was so scared that he could merely watch the scene, unable to move. It was until Mammon flew to him.

"You'd better leave now."

Tsuna followed Arcobaleno's advice in an instant.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here goes the second chapter. Thank you all for your feedback! Responses to your reviews can be found at the bottom of this page.  
**

* * *

Tsuna felt disheartened. The last time he had experienced such a complete failure was when he finally had decided to confess to Kyoko. The answer he had received then was: "I like you very much. But as a friend." Ironically those were more or less the same words he had said to Haru the day before when she had expressed her wish to go with him to Italy and become his wife.

Tsuna sighed. His only hope was that Xanxus' anger would eventually subside. Just as he was about to enter Vongola headquarters, he heard his phone ringing.

"Hello?"

He heard his mother's remarkably cheerful voice.

"Hi, Tsu-kun! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, mom. How about you? Do Lambo, I-pin and Fuuta cause you any problems?"

"No, not at all. They're such sweet and well-behaved children! When are you going to visit your mommy, Tsu-kun? Since you started working with dad at that construction sites, it's so rare for me to see you."

"It can't be helped, mom. Dad and I have to travel a lot. But I promise to visit you this summer."

"I can't wait for your return, Tsu-kun! Take care and say hello to dad for me!"

Tsuna sighed again (lately it became a habit of his). He hated lying to his mother but he also couldn't tell her that he had become a mafia boss. As he opened the door, he was greeted by Gokudera and Yamamoto.

"Welcome back, Tenth!"

"How did your talk with Xanxus go?"

Tsuna hung his head.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Is that a coffee stain on your shirt, Tenth?"

"I accidentally spilled my espresso."

Yamamoto smiled cheerfully.

"Haha. It must've been really bad since it also got spilled on your hair."

"Are you really all right, Tenth? Did that bastard do anything to you?"

"Please, don't ask."

If it wasn't for other Varia members, Tsuna would be a goner by now. He just hoped that they were okay.

**Meanwhile, in Varia's Main Room**

"Seriously, why didn't you listen to me when I told you that eavesdropping is dangerous? I wouldn't have to dress your wounds now. It's not even part of my duties."

Lussuria, who was having both of his arms bandaged, smiled apologetically to the secretary.

"Sorry for that, Miseria-chan. I'd gladly heal us all but I can't really use my hands when they're like this."

"VOOOI! JUST STOP COMPLAINING, WOMAN! IF WE HADN'T STOPPED OUR SHITTY BOSS, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ANY DUTIES ANYMORE!"

Squalo was laying on a bed with one of his legs and half of his face bandaged. He, Lussuria and Levi suffered the most severe damage since Belphegor and Fran got away with only several scratches. The secretary gave the strategy captain an indifferent look.

"That would be _so_ unfortunate."

Fran was scratching one of the band-aids on his face as he mused:

"I wonder what Tenth did to enrage our boss so much."

"Ushishishi~ I doubt that he had to do much."

Miseria nodded.

"Indeed. Xanxus-san is irked by Sawada-san's sole existence."

Further discussion was interrupted by Mammon's arrival.

"VOI, MAMMON! HOW IS HE NOW?"

"Boss locked himself in the office. He doesn't want to talk to anyone."

"I SEE! I'LL CHECK ON HIM LATER!"

"I advise you against it, Squalo-san. Unless you want more injuries but I'm not going to nurse you back to health."

**Back to Vongola Headquarters **

"Ciaossu."

After Tsuna entered his office, he was greeted by a miniature hitman sitting on his desk.

"What are you doing here, Reborn?"

"I decided to pay a visit to one of my former students. Do you want some espresso?"

Next to Reborn stood a miniature coffeemaker and the Arcobaleno was also holding a miniature coffee cup. It brought back bad memories, so Tsuna shook his head.

"No, I've had enough today. But I'll be needing your advice, Reborn."

"I'm all ears."

"Well, How to say it…I wanted to reconcile with Xanxus but I only made him hate me even more."

Reborn studied Tsuna's face carefully.

"What exactly did you do?"

"…I kissed him."

Suddenly Reborn jumped and landed heavily on Tsuna's head, knocking him down in the process.

"You're really No-Good Tsuna."

"That hurt! And what I'm supposed to do now?"

"Just leave him alone. He'll calm down sooner or later."

Tsuna sighed for the fourth time this day.

"I hope so."

**Several days have passed**

Tsuna felt exhausted. The amount of paper work he had to do was overwhelming. If it wasn't for Gokudera's help, he wouldn't be able to cope with all of this. Still, he felt that his right-hand man was overworked. That's why Tsuna decided to give Gokudera a week off. Although the latter protested at first but eventually, after a lot of persuaiding, he agreed.

Now Tsuna was carrying a massive pile of various documents that all needed to be examined and approved by him. He began to regret sending his storm guardian on holiday.

- I didn't know it's so much work. I have no chance of finishing it all today. Maybe I should follow Xanxus' example and hire a secretary?

Tsuna sighed and opened the door to his office. When he saw who was waiting for him there, he instantly dropped all the papers.

"Hiiii!"

- Speaking of the devil!

"You're late, trash."

Xanxus was sprawled on Tsuna's chair and also kept his legs on the desk. There was a rather bored look on his scarred face. Tusna wondered whether the Varia's boss had ever heard about good manners.

"Xanxus? How did you get here?"

"With your shitty security, it wasn't much of a problem."

Indeed, Tsuna suspected that none of his guardians would want to (or even could) stop Xanxus. Maybe with the exception of Hibari but his cloud guardian was currently visiting Namimori.

"Anyway, why are you here?"

In response Xanxus smiled. A cold shiver run down Tsuna's spine.

"I have a score to settle with you, trash."

Without warning Tsuna was struck with a shot. Luckily for him, Xanxus didn't have much time to charge, so the damage wasn't too severe. Nevertheless, the impact of the strike was more than enough to make him crash into the wall and leave a dent in it. With a gun still in his hand, Xanxus slowly approached him.

"We're even now! So please stop shooting!"

Xanxus didn't say a word. Instead he grabbed Tsuna by the shirt and lifted him, so that their eyes were on the same level. To Tsuna's utter surprise, his lips were attacked violently. The kiss was anything but gentle and it left him all flushed and panting.

"Now we're even, trash."

And with saying that Xanxus simply left the office.

* * *

**To Lelouch84: Tsuna is a little older (and I hope more mature) in this fic. And Xanxus is well, Xanxus ;)  
**

**To TheAngelofOblivion-DarkMadness: I'm glad it made you laugh so much :)**

**To Sylvia-san: I've also searched for some X27 fics and since there were so few of them, I decided to write my own.**

**To MissSexyRain: Yes, he should ;) And it's actually my second slash.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A word of explanation: I do not support underage drinking ;) All characters who consume alcohol in this fic are considered adults (at least according to Italian law). And as always, thanks for reviews!  
**

* * *

**One year has passed**

Everything was going well. Tsuna put considerable effort into restoring Vongola to its original form. Still, most of his actions were treated with contempt by some of the Vongola members (Squalo tended to call them "useless charity"). But he hadn't lost heart so easily. After all, no matter how much they complained, Tsuna knew that he could always count on their help.

His relations with Varia remained mostly proper. Tsuna far-sightedly avoided direct contact with Xanxus (he still remembered their last "encounter") and instead preferred to deal with his more cooperative second-in-command.

Eventually, Tsuna was no longer able to cope with huge amount of paper work and decided to hire Bianchi as his secretary. He managed to convince her to wear glasses all the time, so that poor Gokudera wouldn't have to suffer from constant stomachaches.

It was Reborn who came up with the idea of organising a party to celebrate Tsuna's first year as Vongola Tenth. The latter agreed. He thought that his guardians deserved some rest. Additionally he believed that it would be a good occasion to meet with some of his long time no seen friends.

Everything was arranged and finally the day of the party came.

- Maybe that wasn't a good idea.

The Vongola boss anxiously observed his guests. To Tsuna's surprise, Hibari had agreed to attend the party but as soon as Dino arrived, the cloud guardian dragged him somewhere, presumably to bite the poor Cavallone boss to death. Gokudera was laying under the table, his face all blue. Tsuna suspected that Bianchi must've forgotten about her glasses. Yamamoto was smiling and putting his arm around visibly annoyed Squalo who was shouting something about "Shitty baseball that interferes with sword practice!". Meanwhile Lambo and I-Pin were cheerfully hanging onto Lancia's arms on both sides. Levi tried to hit on Chrome but he didn't realise that it was an illusion created by Mukuro. To Tsuna's astonishment, Ryohei was calmly sitting next to Hana and having a conversation with her. There was even a faint blush on his cheeks. Kyoko and Haru were chatting and eating cakes as usual.

- Good thing that no one is drunk. At least not yet. But it seems like one person is missing…

Tsuna took a look around. He noticed that majority of the Varia members were present. Belphegor and Fran were busy bickering. Mammon was sipping a milk tea and talking to Reborn. Lussuria cheered up Levi who was heartbroken after his failed pick up attempt. Squalo disappeared somewhere together with Yamamoto.

- So _he_ isn't here. Not that it surprises me…

At first Tsuna decided to do nothing about it. But after a few glasses of wine, he changed his mind. He staggered towards the exit. It didn't go unnoticed by Reborn.

"Where are you going, Tsuna?"

"Xanxus didn't come, so I'm going to Varia HQ to bring him here."

"That's a bad idea. But good luck anyway."

By the time Tsuna reached the Varia Headquarters, he had mostly sobered up. While standing in front of the main door, he realised that Reobrn was right. Coming here was a _very_ bad idea. He decided to return to the party before it was too late. Just as he was about to turn back, the door suddenly flung open.

"Hiiii!"

"I'm sorry, Sawada-san, I didn't mean to startle you. By the way, shouldn't you be at the party now?"

Tsuna looked in surprise at the small, black figure standing before him.

"Well, yeah. But you're supposed to be there too. Haven't you received my invitation?"

The Varia secretary gave Tsuna an apologising look.

"Please, do not feel offended, Sawada-san. I'm just not too fond of parties. Besides, my colleagues can be quite unbearable when drunk."

"I understand."

"You came here to see Xanxus-san, Am I right?"

Tsuna was planning to deny it but the secretary already went back to the mansion beckoning to him to follow her.

"He's dozing now. I'll wake him up but on your own responsibility."

"Maybe it's better not to bother him?"

"Do not worry. If my employer wakes up in a bad mood, you'll know it right away."

- Was that supposed to sound reassuring?

Tsuna unenthusiastically followed the secretary to the Xanxus' office. There she knocked at the door and entered without even waiting for an answer.

"Xanxus-san, you have a guest."

Xanxus, who was resting with legs on his desk, opened one eye.

"Who?"

"It's Sawada Tsunayoshi-san."

He opened both of his eyes.

"Let him in."

Tsuna reluctantly entered the office. Xanxus made no effort to remove his legs from the desk. His shirt was badly creased, presumably due to the nap.

"So, you've come."

Tsuna had an unsettling feeling that his arrival had been expected.

"Yeah. I wanted to ask why didn't you come to the party?"

Xanxus took a small piece of decorative paper out of his pocket and showed it to Tsuna.

"What's written here, Sawada?"

"Invitation to Vongola Decimo's 1st anniversary celebration party?"

Xanxus burnt the paper in his hand.

"You have your answer."

"I see. You still do not consider me Vongola's Tenth, right?"

Tsuna received a challenging stare.

"Why should I? Your actions only bring shame on Vongola. Even my old man wasn't as soft as you."

Tsuna resisted the urge to sigh.

- Seriously, even Hibari is easier to deal with.

"Is there any way for me to change your mind?"

Xanxus smiled in response. It made Tsuna tremble. He really preferred when the Varia boss was frowning.

"There is such a thing. You have to defeat me."

- This is bad, _really_ bad! I shouldn't have come here…

"You want to fight?"

In response Xanxus stood up and went to the cabinet in the back of the office. He returned carrying two glasses and a bottle containing an amber liquid.

"A drinking contest?"

"If you manage to win, I'll go with you to the party. If you don't, you'll resign from your position as Vongola's Tenth."

"Wait! I stand no chance of winning! I'm just an occasional drinker! And I've already drunk wine at the party!"

Xanxus smiled mockingly and poured himself a drink which he gulped down almost instantly.

"See? I've even given you an advantage. If you still don't think you can win, then why don't go back with your tail between your legs? Bwhahahaha!"

While Xanxus was laughing maniacally, Tsuna desperately contemplated his options. He could just refuse but it basically meant bringing dishonour on himself. Yet it was practically impossible for him to win. According to Fuuta's ranking, Xanxus was in the Mafia's top when it came to the alcohol tolerance. Then an idea popped into his head.

- I'll have a chance, if I use _it_!

Tsuna nodded.

"I agree."

He poured himself a full glass. Then he took a Dying Will Pill and swiftly washed it down with whisky. At first Xanxus appeared surprised but he quickly flew into rage.

"You scum! You're not allowed to use that!"

Tsuna answered him calmly:

"You've never said anything about taking Dying Will Pills. And since when you're the one to show such a respect for the rules?"

Xanxus angrily bared his teeth before pouring himself a next drink.

"Fine. But I have no intention of losing, trash."

"Really? So do I."

* * *

**To ****Sylvia-san****: I was contemplating removing Reborn's curse but since the Curse of The Rainbow Arc is still unfinished and the fate of the Arcobaleno remains uncertain, I decided to leave things as they were.**

**To ****R3iga1004****: I think it has been war since the day they met ;)**

**To ****Hono no Kage****: Tsuna couldn't have picked better time for Gokudera's holiday ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: Please do not imitate Tsuna and Xanxus. Drinking contests are not what good children do.**

* * *

**Several (a dozen or so) glasses later**

"Not bad, Shawada. I thought you'd drop dead by now."

"You're doing quite well, yourshelf. As ehshpected from nmber 3 mafia member with shtrongest alcohol tolerance."

Xanxus banged his glass on the table so angrily that it nearly broke.

"Nmber 3? What freking shums are above me?"

Tsuna tried to force his intoxicated mind to think.

"I don't rmember the firsht guy but the second place belongs to your shecretary, Misheria-san."

The angry look on Xanxus' face was replaced with utter amazement.

"That woman? Mammon was right. She really is shmething else."

Tsuna wanted to ask what Xanxus meant by "shmething else" but his hand slipped when he tried to pour himself another drink. It contents got spilled on his shirt (luckily he had removed his jacket earlier). He started unbuttoning it.

"Oy, shum! Shtop shtripping in my offishe!"

Xanxus threw the (now mostly empty) bottle at him. Tsuna was amazed that his aim was so good despite his drunken state. It missed by a hair.

"Be more creful! You could've killed me!"

"And sho what?"

Xanxus went for another bottle but on his way back he tripped over his own chair and dropped it. Tsuna miraculously managed to catch it.

"Maybe we should shtop jusht now?"

"Are you giving up? Then I win."

Tsuna sighed and poured himself another drink.

- It will not end well…

**In the morning**

Squalo walked into Xanxus' office with the aim of giving his boss a report on the party. What he saw there left him in blank astonishment. Empty bottles were lying around everywhere. The air was filled with a nauseating smell of alcohol. And Xanxus was sleeping on his desk in a rather uncomfortable-looking position. But the thing that surprised Squalo the most was the fact that on the floor next to his boss' desk was laying no one else but Vongola Tenth. The swordsman noticed with relief that the boy wasn't dead since his breathing was regular. After careful consideration, Squalo decided it would be better to leave them alone for now. Instead he headed for the Secretary's office.

"VOOII, MISERIA! TELL ME…"

Miseria smiled to Squalo humourlessly from the pile of documents she was sorting.

"How nice to see you, Squalo-san. Did you bring me that report I asked you earlier?"

"I GIVE IT TO YOU TOMORROW! NOW TELL…"

The secretary interrupted him again:

"Excuse me, Squalo-san but you said exactly the same thing yesterday and the day before. It's not that difficult to write it, right? All I need are personal details of the target, the disposing method that was used, the approximate time when it happened…"

- NOW OF ALL TIMES! SHE IS UNBEARABLE DURING HER PMS!"

"FINE I GIVE IT TO YOU TODAY! BUT FIRST TELL ME WHY IS OUR DAMN BOSS SLEEPING IN HIS OFFICE ALONG WITH SAWADA AND A DOZEN OF EMPTY BOTTLES?"

"How I'm supposed to know? I'm not Leviathan-san, stalking Xanxus-san isn't one of my hobbies. Maybe they had a drinking contest?"

"VOOOI! IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME! BUT I'M AMAZED THAT SAWADA SURVIVED IT! WHAT WERE THOSE TWO THINKING?"

"Who knows? Anyway, it's about time for me to bring Xanxus-san his morning espresso. Should I wake them up?"

**Some time later**

"Good morning."

Tsuna slowly opened his tired eyes. The female voice that woke him up sounded somewhat familiar but it definitely didn't belong to his mother. And instead of his bed, he was laying on an unidentified carpet. And his head felt as if it was going to explode.

"You're too loud, woman."

That deep voice Tsuna recognised instantly. He grabbed the edge of the desk and slowly stood up to look at Xanxus. The Varia leader looked awful but Tsuna suspected that his appearance might be even worse. The secretary put the tray on the desk.

"I'm sorry. I brought your espresso, Xanxus-san. There is also one for you, Sawada-san."

"Thanks."

Tsuna gratefully took his cup. After several sips of hot liquid he felt much better. Even his headache became less nagging. Xanxus also tried to reach for his coffee but he stopped midway and swore quietly. Tsuna noticed that the blood was dripping from his palm. Apparently one of the shards of broken glass injured Xanxus' hand.

"This needs to be disinfected."

"Just leave me alone!"

Xanxus snarled savagely at his secretary and angrily took the cup using his left hand. Tsuna wondered whether it was safe to talk to him now but he hadn't much choice.

"Ummmm….I think our contest ended in a tie, right?"

To Tsuna's relief, Xanxus nodded. Evidently he also didn't remember which one of them collapsed first. Meanwhile, the secretary managed to open all windows and disappear. Tsuna decided to follow her example.

"I'll be going now. Bye."

Xanxus muttered something in response. Tsuna left the office as quickly as possible, even though his head was still spinning. Squalo waited for him next to the front door.

"VOOII, SAWADA…"

Tsuna had to cover his ears.

"Please not so loud!"

In response Varia's strategy captain lowered his voice. It was still loud but mostly bearable.

"What were you doing here, Sawada?"

"I wanted to convince Xanxus to come to the party."

"VOOII! ARE YOU AN IDIOT?"

Tsuna had to cover his ears again.

"Please keep your voice down!"

"Listen, Sawada. Nothing good will come of it, if you keep bothering our boss. Just leave him alone."

Tsuna nodded understandingly.

"I guess you're right."

"Anyway, I've already called you a cab."

"I'm deeply thankful."

On his way home, Tsuna had to ask the cab driver to stop. He barely managed to leave the car, before he started vomiting violently. After he finished, the driver offered him a tissue and a small bottle of water which Tsuna gratefully accepted.

"It must've been one hell of a party."

"I swear, I'll never drink alcohol again!"

The driver smiled as they both returned to their seats.

"I doubt that you're going to keep your promise, boy. When I was your age I used to have hangovers almost every Sunday. You should enjoy youth while you still can."

Tsuna wouldn't call it exactly "enjoying" but he wasn't in the mood to argue. When he finally arrived at Vongola headquarters he was greeted by Yamamoto and Dino. Both appeared to be badly beaten.

"What happened to you, Tsuna? You don't look too well."

"I drank a bit too much last night. But more importantly what happened to you two?"

Yamamoto smiled cheerfully as he answered:

"Well, Squalo wanted to spar but I convinced him to play some baseball first. He lost three games in a row and got a little mad. Hahaha."

Tsuna didn't even know what to say. Instead he turned his questioning stare to Dino. The Cavallone boss smiled an embarrassed smile.

"Hibari and I had a fight. We would probably still continue it, if it wasn't for a call from Kusakabe. It seems that there are some problems in Namimori, so Hibari went to sort it out."

Tsuna sighed.

"I see. And how's Gokudera?"

"Shortly after you left, he felt a little better. But then his sister came to check on him…"

Tsuna facepamlned. He didn't even need Yamamoto to finish to know what had happened.

Then Dino spoke:

"By the way, Reborn wanted to talk to you. He's waiting in your office."

"I'll go to him but I have to take a shower first."

* * *

**To ****Sylvia-san: I know what you were imagining…But sorry, they were too drunk for that ;)**

**To Guest: Probably there are so few X27 stories because is extremely difficult to write them while not making those two too ooc. I found about it hard way.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I've read the latest chapter of KHR. Unexpectedly my reaction was more or less like this 0_0 I'm really hoping that the mangaka is simply trolling their readers…**

* * *

Tsuna freshened up and headed for his office. In there he found Reborn and overjoyed Bianchi.

"Ciaossu."

Tsuna noticed that his secretary was pouring some whisky to a miniature glass. Then she handed it to the Arcobaleno.

"Here you are, Reborn."

"Thanks, Bianchi."

- Is he doing it on purpose?

Tsuna didn't even have strength to protest. Instead he collapsed on the chair and turned to his secretary:

"Where are your glasses, Bianchi?"

"My glasses? Oh my, I've completely forgotten about them. I tend to forget about everything when my dear Reborn is around."

"Please put them on."

When blushing Bianchi left, Tsuna turned to Reborn:

"Can you really drink whisky? Arcobaleno or not, you're still a 2-year-old baby."

"Stupid Tsuna. I can drink any kind of alcohol as long as I don't overdo it. But that applies to everyone, right? A propos, did you manage to convince Xanxus?"

"Why are you asking if you already know? Of course not. I'm lucky that I didn't have to resign from my position."

Reborn quickly transformed Leon into a sledge-hammer and hit Tsuna in the head with it.

"That hurt, Reborn! Did you want to kill me?"

"It's a fitting punishment for putting the future of your family in danger."

"I got it! I give up! I won't be bothering Xanxus anymore!"

Reborn hit Tsuna with the hammer again.

"Sometimes I have an impression that I haven't taught you anything. I guess that No-Good will always remain No-Good."

Tsuna slowly rose to his feet while holding his head. He felt like vomiting.

"But there is no way for me to become friends with Xanxus!"

"You don't have to become friends with him. But as Vongola Tenth it's your duty to make sure that all your allies will remain loyal to you. That includes Xanxus and the Varia."

"I know that he has a grudge against me but he is still loyal to the family, right?"

"If you leave him alone, his resentment will only grow. Who knows maybe one day he'll betray you? Maybe you'll be even forced to execute him."

"I'd really want to avoid it! But all my efforts only make the matters worse. What should I do?"

"You're the Tenth now. I'm no longer your tutor. It's for you to decide."

Tsuna muttered quietly:

"You're really No-Good tutor."

Reborn instantly produced the hammer again. There was a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Did you say something, No-Good Tsuna?"

"No, no, nothing at all!"

**Meanwhile at the Varia Headquarters **

The Varia's secretary hesitantly entered her employer's office. She had been working for Xanxus for several years but it was merely the second time when she had to deal with him in such a state. Usually he consumed a lot of alcohol but it never resulted in the hangover. Only after the Ninth's death, Xanxus had shut himself in the office and had been drinking for 3 days non-stop. The results hadn't been pretty to say at least. That's why Miseria was afraid of what might await her now.

"I brought you water as you asked, Xanxus-san."

Xanxus gave her a dark scowl as she placed the tray on his desk. Since he managed to take a shower and change clothes, he looked much better than in the morning. But Miseria noticed that his wounded palm still wasn't dressed.

"Excuse me, Xanxus-san, but your hand needs to be bandaged."

Just as Miseria uttered those words, Xaxnus took the glass with water and spilled it all on her.

"Do you think that you're allowed too look down on me, woman?"

The secretary stared at him in surprise. It wasn't that her employer had never mistreated her. But this time he made even less sense than usual. She raised her hands in a defensive gesture.

"I would have never thought such a thing! I have no death wish!"

Xanxus was eyeing her suspiciously. Miseria feared that he might be contemplating whether to throw something heavy at her or just shot her right on the spot. He finally spoke:

"Bring me more water, woman. And a first aid kit. Also tell those scums that I don't want to see any of them today. Especially the damned shark and his loud mouth."

"Understood."

With relief, Miseria quietly shut the office's door. All 6 Varia officers were already waiting for news from her.

"How's boss? Does he need something?"

"Maybe he needs some healing?"

"VOOII! HOW LONG IS HE GOING TO STAY THERE?"

"He didn't forget that today is my payday, right?"

"Ushishi~ I see that we have the first victim of our boss' bad mood, haven't we?"

"Why are you wet, Miseria-san? Did you take a shower in your clothes?"

Miseria decided to ignore Belphegor's and Fran's questions (that made her eyebrow twitch) and proceeded to answer the other ones:

"I think that Xanxus-san needs to be left alone most of all. I definitely recommend you to refrain from visiting him today. I have no idea how long he is going to stay in his office, Squalo-san. And I guess that you'll have to wait for your pay till tomorrow, Mammon-san."

"Hmph. I guess I have no other choice."

"I'm going to stay here in case boss needs me."

"As you wish, Leviathan-san."

Lussuria, Belphegor Fran and Mammon deemed it appropriate to leave to their rooms. Squalo decided to follow the secretary and grumble:

"VOOII! EVERY TIME SAWADA VISITS HIM, OUR BOSS ENDS UP IN A TERRIBLE MOOD! HE HAS A REALLY BAD INFLUENCE ON HIM!"

"Do you mean that Xanxus-san has a bad influence on Sawada-san?"

"OF COURSE NOT! IT'S THE OTHER WAY AROUND!"

The secretary shrugged her shoulders.

"Not that I really care. By the way, Squalo-san, what about your report? Leviathan-san has already given me his."

"VOOII, WOMAN! THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAN YOUR DAMN REPORTS!"

"It's possible. But I'm just doing my job. How about you doing yours, Squalo-san, and writing that _damn_ report?"

Squalo had an urge to cut the secretary into slices or at least give her some severe beating. Nevertheless, he restrained himself from doing so and went to his room. In there he sat at his desk and angrily started typing.

"VOOII! DAMN WOMEN AND THEIR PERIODS! I JUST HOPE THAT THIS WITCH WILL FINALLY LEAVE ME ALONE AFTER I GIVE HER THAT PIECE OF REPORT SHIT!"

Squalo felt frustrated but the secretary's pestering wasn't actually the main reason. The tense situation between the bosses of Vongola and Varia was more of a concern to him. It had been already bad when Ninth had been still alive. And after his death it had become even worse. Still, Squalo couldn't fathom why Sawada kept trying to make friends with his boss.

- XANXUS HATES THAT BRAT'S GUTS AND IT ISN'T GOING TO CHANGE ANY TIME SOON! IT'S A WONDER THAT SAWADA HAS VONGOLA'S HYPER INTUITION AND YET HE CAN'T UNDERSTAND THAT JUST THE SIGHT OF HIS GIRLY FACE OR THE SOUND OF HIS NAME REMINDS OUR BOSS ABOUT HIS DEFEAT! THAT BRAT SHOULD BE REALLY GRATEFUL THAT XANXUS IS ABLE TO SOMEHOW TOLERATE HIM!

* * *

**To Sylvia-san: 1****st**** place actually belongs to Ronnie Sukiart. Reborn didn't make it to the top just because having a body of a 2-year-old does not promote much drinking. Tsuna is quite low in the ranking (but still higher than Hibari). He managed to draw with Xanxus only thanks to the Dying Will Pill, so he sort of cheated ;)**

**To Swanfrost15: I might raise the rating. But I'm still unsure since M-rated scenes aren't really my favourite thing to write.**

**To Guest: Yes, I'll continue this. **

**To MissSexyRain: I think the problem is that you initially faved this story instead of putting it on alert ;) As for Squalo's motivations, I belive it's both.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**For some reason, Kyoyko is the most difficult KHR character for me to write.  
**

* * *

**Vongola HQ**

After his talk with Reborn, Tsuna decided to check on Gokudera. To his relief, he saw that his storm guardian's condition improved considerably. Tsuna smiled to Gokudera who immediately got up from bed and started hitting the floor with his forehead.

"Please forgive me, Tenth! I didn't feel well, so I wasn't able to attend your party properly!"

"It's all right, Gokudera-kun. I also didn't attend it properly. I'm just happy that you're feeling better."

"Good to see you acting so lively again, Hayato."

"Sis!"

Gokudera's face turned blue as he fell to the floor. Tsuna gave Bianchi a look of reproach.

"Didn't I ask you to put your glasses on? Why don't you give Gokudera and his stomach a little break?"

In response Bianchi took out her glasses. They were almost completely shattered.

"I _did_ put them on. But then I ran into Lambo and they fell off. Then Dino Cavallone tripped and accidentally stomped on them."

Tsuna sighed.

"I see. I'll get you new ones. But if you plan to talk to Gokudera again, please put some goggles on first, okay?"

Bianchi nodded and left the room. Tsuna helped Gokudera to lay in bed again. Then he also left, so that his poor storm guardian would finally get some rest. In the corridor he ran into no one else but Sasagawa Kyoko.

"It's that you, Tsu-kun? It's been a while. You changed a lot."

Indeed Tsuna was now one head taller than Kyoko. He smiled to her warmly. If he had seen her just a year ago, his heart would probably still hurt. But time was a great healer. Now he was actually happy that she rejected him. Thanks to that he, Kyoko and Haru could still remain a good friends.

"Good morning, Kyoko-chan. You haven't changed at all."

Kyoko returned his smile.

"I wanted to thank you for inviting me to your party. I'm so happy that I could see both you and my brother again."

"Not at all. We're friends, right?"

"Is there something bothering you? You don't look too well."

Tsuna smiled in embarrassment.

"There are some things bothering me but I'm looking bad just because I drank a bit too much last night."

Kyoko looked at him with a worried expression.

"Maybe I can help you somehow?"

"No, no, everything is fine, Kyoko-chan! But please tell me, since when your brother and Kurokawa began dating?"

The change of topic turned out to be quite effective. To Tsuna's relief, Kyoko started to talk happily about her brother's and her best friend relationship.

**Varia HQ**

It took Squalo an hour to write the report. He made sure to include all the necessary details and added his signature. Then he headed for the secretary office.

"VOII, MIESERIA! I'VE GOT THAT DAMN REPORT FOR YOU!"

"Thank you very much, Squalo-san. Please leave it on my desk."

Squalo noticed that the secretary was collecting various papers scattered on the floor. The whole office looked as if it was hit by a tornado.

"VOIII! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?"

"Belphegor-san was bored, so he came here to play."

Squalo started brandishing his sword furiously.

"THAT SHITTY BRAT! I'LL CUT HIM INTO PIECES!"

"That won't be necessary, Squalo-san. I've already administered an appropriate punishment. Belphegor-san will need a lot of time to remove all those knives from his behind."

Miseria was smiling spitefully while uttering those words. Squalo wondered what kind of idiot Bel must've been to irritate this woman during her pms. But he had more important matters on his mind.

"VOII! AND HOW'S OUR DAMN BOSS? HAS HE STOPPED SULIKNG YET?"

"I don't think so. I visited him about an hour ago and brought him a first aid kit. He barked at me and didn't even allow to dress his wounded hand. Xanxus-san can be such a child sometimes…"

"DO YOU THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO GO TO HIM NOW?"

"That's a brilliant idea, captain. I'm sure that our boss' mood will improve, if he throws something at your head."

Fran, who had just entered the office deemed it appropriate to cut in. He received a punch in the frog hat from Squalo.

"VOI! I WASN'T ASKING YOU, STUPID BRAT!"

"I think it's not the best idea, Squalo-san. If you're going to visit him, you'll be doing it on your own responsibly. You've been warned."

"FINE!"

When Squalo left Fran turned to the secretary:

"I sometimes wonder if our captain has a masochistic streak."

"I don't think it concerns any of us, Fran-san. By the way, weren't you supposed to bring me your report today?"

"Suddenly I remembered that I promised to help Bel-sempai with removing the knives from his butt. See you later, Miseria-san."

Fran disappeared quickly before the secretary had a chance to protest.

Squalo made his way towards Xanxus' office. In front of the door he found Levi.

"VOOII, LEVI! ARE YOU STILL HERE?"

Levi answered him indignantly:

"I'm staying here in case boss needs me!"

"IDIOT! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO KNOW HE NEEDS YOU, IF YOU JUST KEEP STANDING HERE?"

Squalo made an attempt to open the door but Levi stopped him.

"You can't, captain! Miseria-sama said that boss should be left alone!"

"SHUT UP! I'LL KNOCK FIRST!"

Squalo knocked on the door. There was no answer. Then he started banging.

"VOOII, XANXUS! ARE YOU THERE?"

Levi observed Squalo's actions with growing unease.

"Boss isn't answering. What if something happened to him?"

Squalo didn't waste any more time. He opened the door and rushed into the office. Levi was right behind him. They were greeted by an angry glare. Visibly irritated Xanxus threw the empty glass at Squalo's head.

"VOI! WHAT THE HELL?"

"What are you doing here, trash? Didn't that worthless woman tell you I don't want to see your shitty faces?"

"You weren't answering, so we were worried, boss!"

"Just bring me more water, Levi."

"Yes, boss! Immediately!"

Levi quickly run out of the office. Xanxus gave Squalo an icy glare.

"You're still here, you trash-shark?"

Squalo deduced that Xanxus' mood must've improved. Otherwise his boss would have just thrown him out of the office or beaten him to a bloody pulp. It was quite reassuring. He spoke:

"VOII! I'VE GOT A REPORT FOR YOU!"

"On that shitty party? I don't want it."

"I BET! SINCE YOU AND SAWADA HAD ONE HELL OF A PARTY YOURSELVES! WHY DID YOU CHALLENGE THAT BRAT TO A DRINKING CONTEST?"

This time Xanxus threw the empty bottle at Squalo.

"You're too loud. I wasn't expecting the little trash to agree. It's his fault."

Squalo nearly facepalmed. The fact that Xanxus was as stubborn as a mule was nothing new to him. But he had always thought that Sawada Tsunayoshi was more reasonable than that. How wrong he had been.

* * *

**To Sylvia-san: Despite what it may look like, Squalo and the secretary actually get along. And Hibari's drinking skills are inversely proportional to his fighting prowess ;)**

**To MissSexyRain: He is both contemplating things and also experiencing the hangover ;)**

**To SwanFrost15: It's all right. I'm just not sure about the rating myself. My other slash story went downhill when I made it m-rated, so I might be a bit prejudiced. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I've reached the point where I had two possible scenarios on how to proceed with this story. First one was light-hearted and fluffy, second one was dark and angsty. In case you're wondering which one I chose… The answer is none. I took the third option which was something in between. **

* * *

**Back to Vongola HQ**

Shortly after Tsuna finished talking with Kyoko, he was attacked by Haru. The girl hugged him tightly.

"Tsuna-san! Haru missed you so very much desu!"

"I've missed you too, Haru."

Haru's chatter seemed endless but Tsuna enjoyed it. Conversation with his long time no seen friends considerably improved his mood. Still, he couldn't completely forget about his unresolved business with Xanxus. He decided to ask Enma for advice since he was the person who understood him best (even better than Reborn and Gokudera). Tsuna just hoped that his friend hadn't left for Japan yet. Fortunately he found the red-haired boy laying at the bottom of the stairs.

"Are you all right, Enma?"

Enma smiled in embarrassment and took Tsuna's reached out hand.

"Yeah, I'm mostly okay. The Shimon Family lis leaving soon, so I was looking for you and Natsu to say goodbye when I accidentally fell down the stairs."

"Don't worry, I've fallen down those stairs countless times. They're treacherous. How much time do you have before your departure? I'd like to talk to you about something."

"I have about 5 minutes."

"That should be enough. Will you come with me to my office?"

After they got to the office, Tsuna set Natsu free, so that Enma could give him a stroke. Also he poured his friend some coffee (he bought a coffeemaker since he didn't allow Bianchi to prepare coffee for his guests). Enma paused his playing with the little lion to take the cup.

"Thanks. Is there something troubling you, Tsuna-kun?"

"Well, yes. I can't get along with Xanxus no matter how hard I try. I don't really know what to do to make him stop hating me."

"If I recall correctly you're fighting with him for the position of Vongola's Tenth, right? Why don't you give it to him, then? I mean you're always telling me that you didn't want to become mafia boss."

Tsuna sighed.

"I couldn't give it to him, even if I wanted to. Xanxus has no Vongola's blood, so he can't become Vongola's boss. Vongola's ring would always reject him."

"I see. It's a difficult situation. I honestly wouldn't know what to do, if I were you."

"I don't see any problem here. If monkey causes trouble, I could always bite him to death."

Those words were uttered by a young, black-haired man with a cute canary sitting on his shoulder.

"H-hibari-san? You're already back?"

Hibari, who like majority of Tsuna's guardians didn't have a habit of knocking before entering his office, smirked in response.

"Some weak animals making a mess in Namimori but I showed them their place."

Tsuna noticed some bloodstains on Hibari's white shirt. He felt sorry for the poor delinquents who were unlucky enough to cross paths with his cloud guardian. Their conversation was interrupted by Enma:

"I'm sorry that I couldn't by of any help, Tsuna-kun. I must be going now. Adel will scold me if I'm late."

"It's all right. See you again, Enma."

After Enma left Hibari turned to Tsuna again:

"Where is Bucking Bronco? I haven't finished biting him to death yet."

"I really don't know where Dino is!"

"Then I find him on my own."

Hibari readied his tonfas and left the office. Tsuna heaved a weary sigh. Sometimes his guardians could be almost as troublesome as his enemies. He felt so exhausted that he decided to take a nap in his own bed (the carpet in Xanxus' office, on which he had slept tonight, was anything but comfortable). On his way to the bedroom, Tsuna run across Byakuran. The white-haired man smiled happily to him.

"Why such a long face, Tsunayoshi-kun? Is there something troubling you? Here, have some marshmallows."

Tsuna reluctantly took one of the sweets that were offered to him. Probably confiding in Byakuran was not the wisest thing to do but he was starting to get desperate.

"I just can't get along with Xanxus…"

"You can't get along with Xanxus-kun? Hmm. That's not very good. You should get along with your subordinates. Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No, better not!"

Tsuna couldn't even imagine how much it would piss Xanxus off, if he heard someone calling him his subordinate. Byakuran smiled even wider.

"There is also the other way."

"The other way?"

Byakuran came closer to Tsuna and whispered some things into his ear. The latter's face quickly reddened.

"I can't possibly do that! He nearly killed me after I simply kissed him!"

"No, you're wrong, Tsunayoshi-kun. Xanxus-kun is just being shy. You have to make the first step."

Tsuna doubted that running after someone with their guns ready to kill could be interpreted as "being shy". Yet as he was finally laying in his bed, he still pondered Byakuran's advice. The thing that the white-haired man suggested was crazy and also extremely dangerous but so far all the attempts to improve his relations with Xanxus had turned out to be futile.

- Maybe it's worth a try? Xanxus is not really normal, so it's possible that it'll work.

Tsuna rose to his feet and went to look for Reborn. He found his ex-tutor on a roof.

"That's nice pyjamas you're having. Are those tunas?"

"Yes, I got it from my mother. But more importantly, I think I found a way to deal with Xanxus. But I'll be needing your help."

Reborn smiled as he transformed Leon into a gun.

"I'm always willing to help my former students. Should I exterminate him?"

"No, no! You don't have to kill anyone!"

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to spy on Varia and let me know when there will be no officers and the secretary present at their headquarters. In order to make my plan work, I need to make sure that I'll be alone with Xanxus and no one will interrupt us."

"That's no problem. But what exactly are you planning?"

Tsuna blushed furiously.

"I'd rather not talk about the details."

* * *

**To SwanFrost15: I'm sorry there was no X27 in this chapter but please wait for the next one...  
**

**To MissSexyRain: Perhaps Kyoko is so difficult to me because she has so very little personality aside from being nice and happy ;)  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**As you can see, I've finally made up my mind what kind of rating my story should have. I apologise in advance if my so called "smut" leaves a lot to be desired. I suck at sex scenes but even so I decided to include them simply because "practice makes perfect". **

* * *

Two months had passed. Tsuna still hadn't heard from Reborn but he waited patiently. Eventually the Arcobaleno brought him the long awaited news.

"The bugs, that I sent to Varia headquarters, informed me that Squalo and Lussuria were sent on a mission, Belphegor and Mammon are on holiday, Levi A Than stays in hospital, Fran is with Kokuyo Gang and the secretary took a day off. If you plan to talk to Xanxus alone, now is the right time."

"I see. Thank you very much, Reborn."

"You're welcome. Good luck and try not to get yourself killed."

Tsuna suspected that his former tutor might have somehow figured out what his plan was. It was the least of his worries though. He made for Varia headquarters immediately. Unsurprisingly the one that opened the door for him was not Miseria but one of the lower-ranked Varia members. As soon as the man saw Tsuna, his eyes enlarged to the size of saucers.

"V-vongola Decimo?"

"Good evening. I've come to talk to your boss."

"N-now is not the best time…Xanxus-sama is in terrible mood today…"

Tsuna smiled to the man reassuringly.

"It's all right. I know where his office is."

The Varia member seemed hesitant for a moment. But eventually he moved away and allowed Tsuna to come in.

Tsuna made his way towards Xanxus's office but stopped just before the door.

- Maybe it's not a good idea…It's not too late, I can still pull back…

Just as Vongola's Tenth was hesitating, the door suddenly flung open and hit him straight in the face. Before Tsuna stood rather annoyed Varia boss. Apparently, the Varia member hadn't lied about Xanxus' mood.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sawada?"

"I-I wanted to talk to you…"

Xanxus furrowed his brows and glared at Tsuna.

"Make it brief."

"Can we talk inside your office?"

Without uttering a word, Xanxus returned to his office and Tsuna followed him. He spotted an empty tequila bottle on the desk.

- I'm amazed that he is still able to drink alcohol even after we had that drinking contest. I can't even look at it…

"How long are you going to keep wasting my time?"

Xanxus observed him with his arms folded. Taking Varia's boss' bad mood into consideration, Tsuna decided to get straight to the point.

"I wanted to apologise to you."

This statement earned Tsuna a rather confused look.

"Apologise to me? For what?"

Tsuna felt a bit relieved that Xanxus didn't think he ought to be apologised. Still, he decided to continue just as Byakuran had told him.

"For everything. I want to compensate it for you."

"How could you supposedly compensate it for me?"

"With my body."

For a moment Xanxus watched Tsuna with an indecipherable expression. Then he spoke:

"Bester."

A white liger appeared instantly and approached Tsuna who cringed in fear and shock. He wasn't expecting that Xanxus would regard his proposition as an insult.

"Hiiii! If you don't want to, then it's fine! I'm leaving now, so you don't have to make me your box weapon's food!"

"Shut up, Sawada. How is it, Bester?"

The liger sniffed Tsuna and growled quietly.

"So it's not an illusion? You may return."

Bester disappeared but Tsuna didn't feel at ease since Xanxus was now smiling. He stood up and leaned nonchalantly against the desk.

"Then what are you waiting for? Strip off."

With some reluctance, Tsuna obeyed the command. First he took his jacket off. Then he unbuttoned and removed his shirt. Next he undid his belt buckle and pulled off his pants along with his underwear and shoes. Xanxus was observing him all the time. Tsuna felt like a lamb that was about to be devoured by a lion. He couldn't help his legs shaking.

Xanxus pushed him towards the desk and forced him to spread his legs. Knowing what would happen next, Tsuna tried to protest:

"W-wait! Prepare me first!"

"And I thought you're a virgin, Sawada."

Before Tsuna could deny it, two fingers were harshly shoved into his mouth. He tried to moisturise them the best he could but they were quickly pulled away. Next he felt those fingers entering him. It was highly unpleasant but not yet painful. Preparation didn't last long as the fingers were swiftly replaced with something much bigger and hotter. This time Tsuna experienced such a terrible pain that he had to bite into his own arm in order to stop himself from screaming.

It didn't escape Xanxus' attention. He grabbed Tsuna by the hair and forcibly yanked him backwards so that he could whisper to his ear in a mocking tone:

"You couldn't possibly think it would be enjoyable for you, trash?"

Tsuna shook his head frantically. He was on the verge of tears. When thrusts began the pain became so unbearable that he couldn't hold back his moans anymore. Eventually Xanxus felt satisfied enough to release him. But before he did that, he bite into the poor boy's neck so hard that it broke the skin.

"You may get dressed."

With trembling hands Tsuna reached for a handkerchief to wipe himself clean. He saw that apart from semen, there was also some blood on his thighs. Putting clothes back on turned out to be quite a difficult task as Tsuna noticed that he had a fairly hard erection. Finally he managed to get dressed. Xanxus who was silently observing him all this time spoke:

"Come again on the next Wednesday."

"A-again?"

Tsuna looked at Xanxus in a complete shock. The latter answered him with a cruel smile on his face:

"Did you really think once is enough to compensate me?"

**Some time later, at Vongola Headquarters**

"Kufufufu. It looks like Tsunayoshi-kun actually followed your advice."

A young, indigo-haired man (whose haircut remarkably resembled a pineapple) stared out of the window and observed the boy who returned to the headquarters limping. There was also another man in the room who busied himself with eating a cream puff. He gave the other male an embarrassed smile.

"He really took it seriously? But I was just joking."

* * *

**To Lelouch84, Swanfrost15, Pink Chayito, Skepsi66: I hope that this chapter lived up to your expectations.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Writing this chapter took me longer than usual. ****And it's short too. ** *Sighs*. All I can say in my defence is that these two weeks has been terribly busy for me. 

* * *

Eventually the Wednesday came. Tsuna was surprised at how little he was afraid of it. In the end, he came to the conclusion that it couldn't be that much worse than the last time. Admittedly, his previous encounter with Xanxus had been anything but pleasant. But after a few days he was able to walk normally and the wound on the neck was mostly healed. That's why he was able to remain mostly calm when he was heading for Varia Headquarters. When he arrived there, he noticed the secretary had just left the building. Since she was wearing casual clothes, Tsuna guessed she must've finished her job. She bowed politely to him.

"Good evening, Sawada-san. Xanxus-san is already waiting for you in his bedroom. It's right next to his office. Goodbye."

Both the expression and tone of voice of the secretary seemed rather indifferent. If she knew about the real purpose of his visit, she didn't let it show. She walked away rather quickly. Tsuna entered the headquarters, his anxiety growing.

- Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? There is a chance that we do it in bed. It's still better than hard desk.

Tsuna reached the bedroom's door and knocked at it softly. There was no answer. Either way, he decided to enter.

"You're late, Sawada."

Contrary to the office, the interior of the bedroom was somewhat plain. Xanxus was sitting on an armchair with legs on a coffee table. His face was showing signs of impatience. Tsuna smiled innocently to him.

"Well, you didn't specify the time."

To Tsuna's utter horror, Xanxus stood up and pinned him to the wall with astonishing speed.

"Are you getting smart with me, trash?"

Xanxus' voice remained calm, in contrast to his narrowed eyes. Tsuna gulped. Although the boy was several inches taller now, Varia boss was still towering over him.

- Perhaps it's not a good idea to try to talk back to him. I better change the topic.

"No, not at all. Shall I remove my clothes?"

In response Xanxus smiled mockingly and (to Tsuna's relief) moved away.

"Not yet. Are you in such a hurry?"

"No, but…"

"Then go down on your knees."

Tsuna had an awful suspicion to what it may lead. Nevertheless, he kneeled down. Xanxus sat on bed and beckoned him to come closer. When the boy obeyed the command, he undid his zipper. The sight gave Tsuna a major shock.

- How did it even fit inside of me?

"Suck it."

Complying with that order proved to be quite difficult. Tsuna tried hard but due to his inexperience, he wasn't able to perform well. It annoyed Xanxus intensely. He grabbed hold of Tsuna's hair and tried to force him to lower his head. Unfortunately the boy gagged and caught his teeth on the piece of flesh that was inside his mouth. Now Xanxus was greatly angered. He violently pushed the boy away.

"You useless piece of trash!"

"S-sorry! I've never done it before! It's so big and…"

"Shut up!"

Tsuna was roughly shoved into the bed. Xanxus leaned over him and quickly unbuttoned his shirt and undid the tie. Then he used it to tie one of the boy's wrists to the bed. Next Tsuna's own tie was forcibly removed and his other wrist was also bound with it. Xanxus wasted no more time and tore Tsuna's shirt. After that he started struggling with the pants and belt. Tsuna raised his hips to help him in hope that he would be able to at least keep his pants in one piece. Soon the boy was mostly naked.

"There's lube in the pocket of my jacket."

Xanxus responded with a smirk as he reached for the small container.

"I see that you've prepared."

"Of course."

Again the preparation did not last long. Xanxus entered him quickly and started moving without giving the boy much chance to adjust. Tsuna expected to go through an intense pain but this time it turned out to be much more bearable than the previous one. He even found that he took pleasure in being handled so roughly.

- Should I be enjoying this? Could it be that I'm a masochist?

Soon Xanxus finished. Tsuna noticed that Varia boss' scars appeared as soon as he reached the pick of his arousal. The boy followed him shortly afterwards. Drops of the his semen landed on the other man's face and exposed chest. He didn't seem enraged though. Instead he untied Tsuna's hands and commanded:

"Lick it clean."

Tsuna obeyed and carefully used his tongue to remove all the drops from Xanxus' chest. When he reached the other's male face, he took the liberty of kissing him in the lips. This seemingly innocent act irritated Xanxus intensely. He grabbed both Tsuna's wrists and pinned him down.

"We haven't finished yet, Sawada."

Tsuna sighed as Xanxus bit into his neck. He was wondering whether his guardians would be willing to believe that all those wounds and bruises were results of him falling down the stairs. Last time they had bought it easily.

- It's going to be a long night…

* * *

**To Mischievously: Really? He was just trolling…**

**To Swanfrost15: ****Thanks. I'm happy that at least you liked it :)**  


**To MissSexyRain: That's why it's so called "smut" ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

***Sighs with relief* Luckily I managed to finish this chapter on time. Alas, I kind of forget to mention it's also the last chapter. I want to apologise to everyone who expected that this story will be continued. But it's possible that I'll write a sequel in the future. When I'll be less busy in my job, that is. Either way, thank you all dear readers for your constant support!  
**

* * *

**Next morning**

Squalo returned to the Varia headquarters feeling very annoyed. At first he had been glad that Lussuria had been assigned to the mission with him since their assassination target had been an owner of a gay club. Squalo would rather swallow his own sword than visit such place on his own. Unfortunately for him, their unlucky target had caught Lussuria's eye. The pervert had asked for some "sweet time" with the club's owner and the swordsman had allowed it since he hadn't been in the mood for listening to the other man's whines on their way back. Still, Squalo was pissed off as they had wasted a lot of time.

"I'll leave delivering the report to you, captain Squ~"

Lussuria seemed so happy that Squalo had an urge to punch the necrophiliac pervert in the face. Nonetheless, he nodded grudgingly and headed for Xanxus' office. On his way there he run into no one else but Vongola's Tenth.

"VOOII, SAWADA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? AND WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?"

They boy was covered in bruises and his clothes were torn and messy. He smiled sheepishly to Squalo.

"It's nothing. I've just had a little fight with Xanxus."

"OUR DAMN BOSS DID THAT TO YOU? I'LL GO TO THAT BASTARD AND…"

Squalo was so agitated that he was ready to storm to Xanxus' office and tell him off but Tsuna stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Wait. It was entirely my fault. Please don't tell anyone about it, okay?"

Only then Squalo took a better look at the boy and noticed something really disturbing. On the boy's neck there were bite marks and something that suspiciously looked like a hickey. Also when Tsuna said goodbye and started walking away Squalo noticed that he was limping. A terrible realisation dawned on him.

- OUR BOSS DIDN'T BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF SAWADA…!

While Squalo stood there completely stunned, Lussuria approached him.

"Weren't you going to report to the boss, Squ?"

"Yeah. Something stopped me on my way there."

Lussuria looked at his colleague with a somewhat worried expression.

"Are you feeling well? Your face looks very pale."

"Of course I'm well. Why wouldn't I be?"

Squalo slowly walked away towards the office. Meanwhile Lussuria was greeted by the secretary who had just returned to the headquarters.

"Good morning, Lussuria-nee-san. You look troubled. Did something happen?"

Lussuria wrung his hands in a dramatic gesture.

"Oh, Miseria-chan! I think there is something seriously wrong with our strategy captain!"

The secretary raised an eyebrow.

"There is something wrong with Squalo-san? Why do you think so?"

"His voice…It was almost quiet."

Miseria nodded her head understandingly.

"It really does sound serious."

Squalo reluctantly entered the office. In there he found Xanxus who, unusually for him, was in a very good mood. He even had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"It's you, shitty-shark. Did you clean up the trash?"

"Yes. The mission was a success, boss."

"Good. Don't forget to write the report for that worthless woman."

Squalo nodded and was ready to leave when Xanxus gave him an unexpected order.

"And take a day off."

"Why?"

"Have you glanced at yourself in a mirror? You look like shit."

- Is Xanxus…being nice to me?

Squalo actually would rather be send on a mission as he couldn't find a place for himself in the Varia headquarters. Even polishing his sword or brushing his shark's teeth didn't help him to relax as usual. Eventually he decided to go to the training hall and practice his sword skills. On his way there he bumped into the secretary who was carrying a bottle containing a colourless liquid.

"Good day, Squalo-san. How are you today?"

"Voi. I'm fine as always."

The secretary gazed at him intently.

"I see. Then are you in the mood for drinking soma vodka?"

Usually Squalo would just yell at her for drinking during her working hours but this day he didn't really feel like it. Instead he nodded silently and followed the secretary to her office. There she took out two glasses and poured some vodka into them. Squalo quickly gulped his and banged it angrily on the secretary's desk.

"VOOII! IT'S SO FUCKED UP!"

The secretary took a sip of her own vodka and looked at him questioningly.

"Do you mean the fact that Xanxus-san and Sawada-san started sleeping with each other?"

"YOU KNEW ABOUT IT?"

"I wasn't sure. You've just confirmed it for me."

Squalo poured himself another glass and gulped it in one go.

"I'M NOT EVEN SURPRISED BY THAT SAWADA BRAT! HE HAD A CRUSH ON OUR BOSS FOR A LONG TIME!"

"Really?"

"VOOII! ARE YOU BLIND, WOMAN? WHY DO YOU THINK HE KEPT COMING HERE CLAIMING THAT HE WANTS TO BE FRIENDS? FRIENDS, MY ASS! BUT IT'S A WONDER WHY XANXUS EVENTUALLY WENT ALONG WITH IT!"

The secretary shrugged and gulped the rest of her vodka.

"But in the end, isn't it beneficial to all of us? I mean, Xanxus-san seems pleased, and also he'll be less reluctant to work under Sawada-san, if he can be the one on top in bed."

Squalo, who was in the middle of pouring himself another glass of vodka, looked at the woman in surprise.

"VOOI! DO YOU THINK HE'S MANIPULATING OUR BOSS?"

"It's hard to say with the likes of Sawada-san. One thing is certain, he's definitely not so naïve and simple-minded as he looks."

This time Squalo drank the vodka slowly, savouring the secretary's words. He decided that something needed to be done about that complicated situation. Still, to cope with it today, he was going to make himself completely drunk. Otherwise he would be too tempted to go to Vongola headquarters and chop Sawada Tsunayoshi's head off.

**One week later**

When Tsuna finished his "meeting" with Xanxus, Squalo was already waiting for him next to the front door. He pointed his sword at the boy.

"VOI! I'LL TELL YOU ONLY ONE THING, SAWADA! IF YOU EVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT HIM, I SWEAR TO CHOP YOU TO PIECES!"

Tsuna responded to him with an innocent smile:

" But I don't know what you're talking about…"

"YOU KNOW VERY WELL!"

The smile on the boy's face vanished just to be replaced by a serious expression.

"Don't worry. I won't."

* * *

**To LaughterGirl: Just because Tsuna's an uke, it doesn't have to mean he is a weakling ;)**

**To MissSexyRain: The last time Tsuna's guardians believed him cause he really does fall down the stairs quite often. But the next time he'll have to be more creative...**

**To Swanfrost15: Thanks. I tried hard.**

**To X-Eddreine-X: Wao, it's one of the longest reviews, I've ever got. And I also wouldn't want to be in Byakuran's shoes when Tsuna's guardians will finally find the truth out ;)**

**To Kuyomi-Chan-Is-Dead: Well, sort of.**

**To Puruku: I hope this update was soon enough ;)  
**


End file.
